1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic recording head, a magnetic reproducing head, a magnetic head, a tape drive and a disk drive using a similar, and in particular, relates to a technology for facilitating arrangement of a plurality of magnetic heads (including both magnetic recording heads and magnetic reproducing heads) (hereinafter referred to as multiplicity of magnetic heads) in order to achieve higher recording density.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, in order to realize large capacity of storage for magnetic recording media, an increasingly higher recording density is required for magnetic heads, so that the use of magnetic heads suitable for reducing a recording track width thereof (hereinafter referred to as “width reduction”) has been increasing.
Further, in order to realize a large capacity storage and a high density in magnetic recording and reproducing of information, provision of a multiplicity of channels is desired (hereinafter referred to as a “multi-channeling”), and hence a multi-channeled magnetic head is on demand.
As an example of such type of a multi-channeled magnetic head, there is, for example, a head that is formed by laminating a plurality of magnetic recording head elements or magnetic reproducing head elements on one common substrate via a magnetic shielding layer, an insulating layer and the like has been proposed by the present applicant of the present invention.
A magnetic head disclosed in the JP-A Laid-Open No. 2001-6750 is directed to a magnetic recording head, and a magnetic head disclosed in the JP-A Laid-Open No. 2000-348377 is directed to a magnetic reproducing head.
Both of those magnetic heads mentioned above are formed by laminating a plurality of magnetic recording head layers or magnetic reproducing head layers, each layer including a single magnetic head element, on a substrate made of a non-magnetic substance, and displacing all magnetic head elements from each other in an orthogonal direction relative to a direction of lamination thereof (herein after referred to as a “head width direction”).
As a result, multi-channeling of the magnetic head is enabled, and each magnetic head element is placed in proximity or overlapped in the direction of the head width thereby enabling to respond to narrower recording track.
The number of channels required for a magnetic recording medium nowadays is not limited to 2 channels or 4 channels, but several tens of channels, for example, 40 channels or more are demanded. This is because that in the field of information recording, a further speedup in recording speed and/or reproducing speed is desired, thereby necessitating a provision of a greater multiplicity of channels for recording and reproducing information to and from a recording medium.